Follow our blog from this year’s Dakar Rally, charting the progress of
Race2Recovery

They did it. On a Chilean mountainside, Daniel “Baz” Whittingham became only the second amputee ever to complete the Dakar Rally, and the first in the truck category. He follows his Race2Recovery team-mate, Philip “Barney” Gillespie, who became the first amputee to complete the Dakar last year when he teamed up with Major Matt O’Hare in a Wildcat rally car.

At the finish of the special stage, three exhausted men slumped against their truck. “We haven’t shed any tears yet,” said Whittingham. “It’s more a sense of relief than anything. When both of the rally cars went out so early in the rally, we knew it was down to us. We were all so determined.”

“This is the hardest driving challenge I’ve ever taken on,” said Mark Cullum, who once finished second in the famous Camel Trophy. “It’s a huge test for everyone, both in the cab and in the support team.” Cullum is a Boy’s Own hero – you get the impression if someone said, “We start again tomorrow,” he’d be there and he’d do it.

Chris Ratter, who navigated for more than 5,500 miles through some of the world’s most inhospitable terrain, also used his mechanical skills to keep the truck going. “You have to look inside yourself,” he said at the finish. “This is a rally that pushes you to the limit in every way and you have to find those hidden reserves. Everyone has them, but most never get to use them.”

Although the team finished at the back of the field, they have played a pivotal role in helping not only the Race2Recovery rally cars before they retired, but others too. During one stage, they even repaired an organiser’s truck that was stranded in the desert and now have a few new friends around the paddock.

The Race2Recovery team celebrate in the city of Valparaiso PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

This was another great adventure for the Race2Recovery team that culminated in a podium ceremony in the city of Valparaiso that went on until midnight. Although the loss of the cars so early was a major disappointment, the team rallied around an eccentric truck that had been designed for life in a quarry but was now doing the Dakar. Reporting on their epic journey has been a treat, but the last word should go to “Baz”:

“When I was blown up in Afghanistan I was told I would never walk again. During my rehabilitation [Team founder] Tony [Harris] advised me to have my leg amputated and also told me about Race2Recovery. Now here I am just a couple of years later – I’m walking and I’ve just completed the Dakar.”

<noframe>Twitter: Alistair Weaver - So they did it. Immensely proud of <a href="http://www.twitter.com/race2recovery" target="_blank">@race2recovery</a> team and thrilled to have been able to report on their achievements. Thanks for support.</noframe>

We'll bring you a full update from South America later today, but in the meantime you can see how the drama ran all the way to the final stage, by reading Alistair Weaver's blog from January 18 (below).

January 18 2014

Today started at 4am when my tent was shaken furiously by Justin Birchall, Race2Recovery assistant team manager. “Get up, the truck’s in trouble, we’re going to RV with it.” One of the curiosities of spending life with a team of ex-military personnel is their reliance on acronyms in place of normal speech. Birchall might be forgiven, except that he’s a civvie volunteer.

I scrambled out of my tent, stuffed my sleeping bag into its miniscule sack in record time and jumped aboard my Freelander. Some of the top teams on the Dakar Rally have mechanics dedicated to ensuring that the support vehicles are in pristine condition. We do not and my vehicle wears the scars of a fortnight in the desert, which makes it look more authentic.

The Race2Recovery truck is repaired out on the Dakar Rally PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

We met the truck on the road, limping back to the bivouac. To go on it needed a new leaf spring, and it needed it fast. The entire Race2Recovery team was thrown into action, grinding, welding and moulding the new parts until the truck was ready to return to the stage. The race crew grabbed their helmets and clambered aboard, still in their filthy race suits from the day before (and the week before that).

Photographer Steve and I chased them to the start line, hoping for a heroic shot of the truck in full cry. Except that that didn’t happen. We arrived to find it parked just a few hundred yards into the stage. While the repair had fixed the immediate problem, it had thrown up another. “I can’t apply full lock,” said driver Mark Cullum. “That’d be a huge problem in the dunes.”

With the team on the special stage, they were unable to receive assistance from the support crews watching from the road nearby. As a film crew, we’re allowed to approach the vehicle, but can’t lend a hand. We stood helplessly as Cullum, Chris Ratter and Daniel “Baz” Whittingham worked to find a fix.

The Race2Recovery team work on the truck ahead of the last stage of the 2014 Dakar Rally PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

Ratter is an ace mechanic and was soon busy with the grinder the team carry as part of its kit. Everything in the truck is supersized and the torque wrench is six-foot long. Lying in the dirt, Cullum was forced into a huge effort just to release the nuts. He won’t thank me for telling you he’s well into his fifties but after a life dedicated to outdoor pursuits he’s absurdly fit. “For a team like us, the Dakar is less about racing and more about problem solving,” he said.

After an hour’s hard labour in 35 degrees heat, the problem had duly been solved and the truck was back on its way. Now there was just the small matter of negotiating 218 miles of special stage and a 216-mile road liaison. This is Dakar the hard way.

As I prepare to send this, the team has made it back to the bivouac and they’re prepping for the final stage. They have 333 miles more to travel, 98 miles of which is on a special stage. Should they make it, they’ll have driven an official distance of 5,837 miles. Fingers crossed.

January 17 2014

When you’ve spent time with the Race2Recovery team, it becomes easy to forget that it was inspired by a desire to rehabilitate seriously injured servicemen. Philip “Barney” Gillespie ceases to be Barney the amputee and becomes Barney the genial Irishman. They’re no longer defined by their injuries, but that isn’t to belittle the impact it continues to have on their lives.

Another long day for the Race2Recovery team in the 2014 Dakar Rally PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

“Technology has made a big difference,” says Gillespie. “My prosthetic limb is made from titanium and carbon-fibre and it’s a world away from the plastic limbs of yesteryear. Back home in Ireland I work at an outdoor pursuits centre, where I climb rocks and abseil. But I do have to be careful. Out here in the desert, the dirt and dust can be a major problem. It can effect how your leg functions.”

The team’s amputees have to service their prosthetics, while also protecting the socket that attaches it to their knee. “Personal hygiene’s hugely important,” says Gillespie. “The big fear in these conditions is suffering an ingrowing hair in your stump. It this happens, the infection and pain’s intense – it’s like running a marathon in a pair of shoes two sizes too small. It really adds to the pressure that the Dakar already piles on you.”

For Daniel "Baz"’ Whittingham this is a particular concern. He’s spending 20 hours a day in the race truck in a dirty, sweaty environment. Even though sleep’s at a premium, he still needs to find time to clean his leg before reattaching his prosthetic. “It’s something all of us have to take seriously,” says Whittingham, “but it’s just something you get used to.”

As a result of last year’s Dakar Rally, the team raised £340,000 for Help for Heroes' flagship Recovery Centre, which helps injured servicemen fulfil their potential. This year the team is raising money for Help For Heroes and the British Limbless Ex-Serviceman’s Association (BLESMA). “Race2Recovery is not just about inspiring others that serious injury is no deterrent to extraordinary achievement, it’s also about helping people in a direct way,” says Tony Harris, team founder.

It’s late night now over here and once again the Race2Recovery truck is fighting its way through the stage. They are exhausted and driver Mark Cullum told me that yesterday was, “the toughest drive I’ve ever done,” – this from a man who finished second in the famous Camel Trophy.

All we can do in camp is prepare for their arrival and will them on. Two days to go…

January 16 2014

While the Race2Recovery truck does battle with the dunes of the Dakar Rally, it’s worth sparing a thought for the support crew. For them, life on the Dakar isn’t nearly as glamorous as it sounds. For almost three weeks, they must survive a nomadic existence, moving from bivouac to bivouac across vast distances. It’s not just the competitors for whom the Dakar is a test of endurance.

Mechanics work on the race truck between stages PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

Most sleep when they can in pop-up tents strewn across the bivouac floor. More often than not they’ll sleep next to their vehicles, making sure they’re not in the firing line should someone dozily drive away in the night. The environment will invariably be noisy with a symphony of generators, stereos and machine tools. Earplugs are a must.

They must be ready to jump when word reaches camp of the imminent arrival of the trucks. Race2Recovery’s truck arrived this morning at 6.30am and the mechanics had little more than an hour to replace a damaged spring before it was sent on its way again. The race crew were so tired they slept on camp beds in their race suits while the mechanics worked around them. It’s amazing where humans can sleep when they’re exhausted.

The Race2Recovery team grab sleep whenever and wherever they can PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

As soon as the rally truck leaves, the convoy heads to the next bivouac. Race2Recovery has a giant eight-wheel truck known as “Big Boy” and a pair of Land Rover Discoverys, one of which is towing a broken Wildcat rally car. Typically the support crews are on the road for about five to seven hours a day, sometimes more (especially if you’re in the truck). It’s a chance to catch up on sleep or plan ahead.

All the vehicles are equipped with Inmarsat satellite telephone systems so they can communicate, even in the wilds. They’re essential – taking on the Dakar is a huge logistical challenge and communication is everything.

Race2Recovery's support truck is known by the team as 'Big Boy' PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

By now cumulative fatigue is taking its toll on everyone. Today the truck faces a 375-mile special stage that includes more than 62 miles of giant sand dunes – the Dunes of Copiapo. The organisers reckon this will be the key stage of the 2014 rally and it’s hard to disagree. It’s another huge challenge for shattered minds and bodies. Right now, everyone is living on adrenaline.

January 15 2014

We’ve made our way across a sand field in our trusty Land Rover Freelander support car to reach the end of the ninth stage of the 2014 Dakar Rally. We’re on the edge of the Pacific near the town of Iquique and just to reach here the teams have battled through the infamous Atacama Dunes on a 512-mile special stage. Now, they’re faced with a terrifying 1.5-mile decent to the sea. In the real world, this giant sand dune would be called a mountain.

As the sun sets over the ocean we stand and watch as the cars and trucks tackle the dune. Some power on down confidently, while others pick their way gingerly through the ruts. Get it wrong here and you’ll be rolling all the way to the bottom.

“Of course it’s dangerous,” says Philip “Barney” Gillespie, who became the first amputee to complete the Dakar last year. “You just don’t think about it. You’d never go to war if you thought you were going to step on an IED and you’d never do this if you thought you were going to roll off a dune.”

His Wildcat suffered overheating problems last year and he and driver Major Matt O’Hare often tackled the biggest dunes at night. “It’s difficult to describe just how big they are. A normal dune is about the height of a typical British house, but some are as high as three houses. You have to attack them with enough speed and momentum to reach the summit, but you don’t want to go so fast that you launch yourself off the top.”

As night falls there’s still no sign of the Race2Recovery T4 truck so we retire to the bivouac. Word reaches us that about 20 vehicles have got stuck in the dunes and that the T4 is helping to rescue some of the stranded. There is, in effect, a traffic jam in the Chilean sand. Eventually they battle their way through and return to the bivouac at 6am.

“That final descent was definitely a bit sketchy,” says driver Mark Cullum. What Cullum calls “sketchy” you and I would probably describe as “terrifying”.

“The sand had been chewed up by other vehicles and I could feel the rear of the truck moving around, but we made it.” For Daniel “Baz” Whittingham, sat behind Cullum’s shoulder in the centre of the truck, there was little to do but to hang on and place his faith in Mark’s ability. “There are rumours that I let out a little scream, but I’m denying it,” he says.

The team had just three hours in which to turn the truck around and send it out on today’s tenth stage to Antofagasta, which totals 428 miles and includes more dunes and fesh-fesh, the powerdery like substance that’s a nightmare to cross. It’s another huge test, but the Race2Recovery team are prepared.

January 13 2014

As far as I can tell, it’s the driver who wins the Dakar Rally. The co-driver, the hapless soul who’s spent hundreds of hours directing his charge, receives little recognition until things go wrong. Then, in adversity, they gain instant notoriety, which seems to me to be spectacularly unfair. This blog entry is therefore dedicated to the noble art of co-driving.

During last year’s Dakar, Philip “Barney” Gillespie became the first amputee ever to complete the rally after co-driving for Major Matt O’Hare as part of Race2Recovery. “Of course you’ve got to learn to navigate well,” he says, “but the role’s so much bigger than that. On a special stage, you’ve got to help the driver read the terrain, while also keeping an eye out for other drivers and riders. If things go wrong, you need to be able to diagnose and help fix problems with the car, while relaying information back to the team and the rally organisers in Paris.”

Race2Recovery's Chris Ratter PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

Then there’s the psychology. “You have to stay positive and upbeat. If the driver’s feeling down or tired, you need to be able to pick them up. Matt and I spent nights in the dunes last year, but we kept each other going with humour.” Anyone who’s seen Gillespie’s famously self-deprecating rant in the documentary Dakar Rally: Frontline to Finish Line last year will appreciate the pivotal role he played in getting the car to the end.

This year Gillespie and driver Ben Gott were forced out of the rally on stage two with mechanical problems. Since then he’s been working the co-driver of the Race2Recovery race truck, Chris Ratter. “I help prepare the road book for the next stage,” says Gillespie. “Chris and I talk it through together.”

“Barney’s been a huge help,” says Ratter. “We often only have a handful of hours between returning to the bivouac and setting off for the next stage. It’s about using that time as efficiently as possible. On the stages, I’m constantly working with [driver] Mark [Cullum] to pick a route through the terrain. If we get stuck we all have to dig the truck out and that’s no fun. I’m also chief mechanic when we’re on the road, so I’m also trying to look after the vehicle.”

The Race2Recovery team work on the race truck during rest day on the 2014 Dakar Rally PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

It’s a role that requires an unflappable nature combined with extraordinary levels of concentration, endurance and bravery. “Sometimes when you’re cresting a huge dune all you can do is hang on and put your faith in the driver,” says Gillespie. Ratter is an accomplished amateur rally driver and reckons this experience has prepared him well. “I’ve been rallying for twenty years, so I’m not easily scared,” he says.

Today Ratter’s skills will be tested once again today as the team crosses the Andes and the border between Argentina and Chile. A road section of 325 miles will be followed by 187 miles of special stage, giving a total distance of 512 miles. To navigate the Andes Cordillera, they’ll also climb to 3500m, adding high altitude to the Dakar’s list of challenges.

January 11 2014

Today is officially rest day on the 2014 Dakar Rally, although clearly not for hard working scribes or the Race2Recovery mechanics. After a week of intensive action, this is the day to repair, replace and crosscheck while the drivers remind themselves what sleep’s all about. It’s also a day to get clean. I had a proper shower last night for the first time in a week and after I’d cleansed myself, I had to clean the shower. Some might think that’s rugged and alpha male; others might just think it disgusting.

Right now I’m writing this in a hostel in the back streets of Salta, Argentina. It’s run by an eccentric old lady who appears utterly convinced that I can speak fluent Spanish, which is odd, because I can just about manage “a beer”. Still, it’s nice to escape the bivouac for a bit. Although the Dakar takes in some of God’s finest work, life in the bivouac is a bit of a bubble accessible only by those with the correct pass.

For the team, though, there’s been little chance to take anything in. This has been an intense first week for Race2Recovery. On day two, both of the team’s cars retired from the rally, since when attention has focussed on the race truck containing Daniel “Baz” Whittingham.

Whittingham, who lost his left leg below the knee in Afghanistan, drives the truck on some of the road liaison sections, before handing over to off-road expert Mark Cullum for the special stages.

The team haven’t been to bed for days but Whittingham has apparently developed a unique solution. “Baz has been sleeping in the special stages,” says co-driver Chris Ratter. “We’re pinned to a rally seat and our heads are being tossed around but Baz is somehow falling asleep. We have to wake him up to change the tyre pressures!”

For Andrew “Pav” Taylor, Race2Recovery’s team manager, the arrival of the team at rest day is conjuring a strange sense of déjà vu. “We’re once again supporting the underdog vehicle. Last year it was Matt, Barney and they’re troublesome Wildcat “Joy”, now it’s the truck. The whole team is now dedicated to getting this vehicle and these lads across the finish line. It’s going to be tough, but we don’t want for will or determination.”

The T4 race truck is the only remaining Race2Recovery vehicle in the 2014 Dakar Rally PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

This first week of the Dakar has been hard on everyone. An exceptionally tough course and brutal heat have seen many talented riders and drivers forced to retire. Tragically, the event has also claimed the life of motorcyclist Eric Palante. The 50-year-old was a veteran of eleven Dakars. The Race2Recovery team and I would like to pass on our condolences to his family and friends.

January 10 2014

As I write I’m sat at the start of the second special stage in the leg from Chilecito to San Miguel de Tucumán of the 2014 Dakar Rally. It’s 8.32pm and the sun is heading off for a G&T. In half-an-hour’s time it’ll be properly dark. We’re waiting for the Race2Recovery truck, which has been on the go since we left the bivouac together at 7.57 this morning.

When they arrive we’ll thrust a camera in their face, exchange a few pleasantries and watch them on their way. Photographer Steve and I will then complete the journey by road while the truck does battle with the sand. We’ll hopefully be at the bivouac by midnight, they’ll be lucky to arrive by daybreak. With just one more day to go before rest day, everyone is utterly exhausted.

Right now, this is more a test of human will than driving skill. Today is the longest of the rally, a 912km marathon. The official guidebook doesn’t expect the last competitor to return until 6.40am, if they don’t hit trouble. We’ve heard that many are planning to spend the night out in the wilds then try again at daybreak.

There are really two events going on here. There’s a rally for the pros that’s all about speed. The Red Bull team of former World Rally champion Carlos Sainz, for example, is camped alongside Race2Recovery in the bivouac. Except that Carlos doesn’t really camp.

As the R2R truck battles the dunes, Sainz will be tucked up in his motorhome while his mechanics polish the carbon fibre on his multi-million pound beach buggy. Sainz is here to win.

The other Dakar is all about getting to the finish. Unlike Le Mans, where everyone races for 24 hours and you count the number of laps, the Dakar is all about how long you take to cover the same distance. It’s harder for the teams at the back, which is why getting to the finish is such a triumph and why everyone who makes it gets to step on to the podium.

Right now that ceremony in Valparaiso on January 18 feels a long way away, but no-one at Race2Recovery is giving up. Keep on truckin…

January 9 2014

Right now, reporting from the 2014 Dakar Rally, I’m veering towards the disgusting end of dirty. My arms have a bronze colour that might be a suntan or it might just be grit – I’ll have to wait for the rest day to know for sure. There are showers in the bivouac but they’re so densely populated with sweaty mankind as to be barely worth the bother. Even my toothbrush tastes funny.

Everything feels a bit grim. I can draw pretty pictures in the dust on the dashboard of my Freelander and the keys on my computer crunch as the South American landscape infiltrates my Mac. It’s enough to send one’s OCD into overdrive. This year I even bought twenty-three identical pairs of socks in the Boxing Day sales so that I could have a fresh pair everyday. It’s a little luxury that I daren’t share with the Race2Recovery team – they’ll think I’m a media luvvie instead of an adventurous alpha male.

As a journalist covering the 2014 Dakar Rally, Alistair Weaver needs a robust set of wheels. This Freelander is the perfect car for the job PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

For the trio in the racing truck – or #teamBaz as it’s now known - life is even tougher. The trucks go out last, after the bikes, quads and cars, so you’re already behind the curve. Today’s stage features 311 competitive miles, plus another 229 to get from A to B. We don’t expect them back before midnight, even if they’ve had a successful day. By then they’ll have spent 16 hours harnessed to a race seat in a hot, noisy, brutal truck.

The Race2Recovery team grab a rare moment of relaxation between stages PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

Mark Cullum, the race truck’s driver, is an off-road expert who once finished second in the famous Camel Trophy adventure race. He trained all Race2Recovery’s drivers and has dedicated his life to endeavours most of us think are bonkers. “It’s all about concentration,” he says. “When you’re fatigued you make mistakes and you need to manage yourself. Success in the Dakar is about deciding how much you really want it.”

The team’s desire will be tested to an extreme over the next couple of days. Tomorrow’s stage from Chilecito to Tucuman is the longest of the rally, totalling 566 miles with 259 miles of special stage. The rally organisers don’t expect the final truck to reach the bivouac until 06:40 and that’s if they don’t hit trouble. For the Dakar competitors, dirt and dust are of little concern - personal hygiene can wait.

January 8 2014

Yesterday Race2Recovery were reminded just how tough the Dakar Rally is. Losing both of the team’s Wildcat rally cars in a single day has been hard on everyone in this close-knit team. If you’re going to be successful in this epic event you have to commit 100 per cent, which makes the knocks even harder to take.

Imagine for a moment you’re a mechanic in the Race2Recovery team. Your “day” effectively begins when the car returns from the stage, which might typically be between 10pm and midnight but sometimes later. You attend a debrief with the driver and co-driver and make a list of things to do. There might be cosmetic damage, a mechanical gremlin, or, if you’re lucky, a standard service. You’ll work through the night to complete these tasks, prepping the car or truck for a departure at about 8am.

Race2Recovery's two Wildcats have retired from this year's Dakar Rally, leaving just the race truck and the Land Rover support vehicles PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

Then you’ll pack up and hop on board one of the team’s Land Rover Discovery support vehicles to begin the journey to the next bivouac, which will be several hundred kilometres away. The “Disco” must double as a bedroom. This is where you’ll grab some sleep before taking a turn behind the wheel. Lunch is provided by the rally organisers and includes a cheap form of cat food. You’ll probably reach the bivouac by early evening, grab an hour’s kip if you’re lucky and prep for the night ahead.

“The Dakar’s one of those things that always seems more fun in hindsight,” says Lee Townsend, who was injured serving in Germany and is returning to the Dakar for a second time. “It’s a strange existence and a bit of an emotional rollercoaster – I even got caught on camera crying when we reached the finish line last year. This Dakar’s been tough this time but we still have some good craic.”

With the Wildcats out of the rally, attention now focuses on the team’s race truck driven by Mark Cullum and co-driven by Chris Ratter and amputee Daniel “Baz” Whittingham. #TeamBaz as it’s being affectionately known faces an 858km leg from San Juan to Chilecito that includes 658km of special stage. For the drivers and the mechanics, the Dakar will only get tougher.

January 6 2014

Not for no reason is the Dakar Rally the self-styled toughest motorsport event in the world. Today on stage two, both of Race2Recovery’s Wildcat’s have retired from the rally, while the race truck is still battling through the dunes after assisting other competitors.

Tony Harris and co-driver Quin Evans had been progressing well and were over 300km into the day’s stage when they then encountered a knife-edge dune. The car rolled end-over-end, landing on its wheels. Both driver and co-driver were uninjured and were able to complete the stage, but on returning to the bivouac the service crew discovered a crack in the roll-bar, making the car unsafe to continue.

The second Wildcat of Ben Gott and Philip “Barney” Gillespie suffered a suspected broken head gasket around 300km into the day’s stage, a terminal problem. The car received technical assistance from Race2Recovery’s racing truck, but it was unable to continue.

“To withdraw from the rally at this stage for the second year running is heart breaking,” said team founder Harris, who last year became the first amputee driver ever to start the Dakar. “We’ve learnt so much since last year and had been improving our position throughout the stage. Then, in tricky light conditions I misjudged a dune and we rolled. At the time it seemed innocuous, but then we discovered the crack in the rollbar. We couldn’t continue and for me, this epic event remains unfinished business.”

Last year, co-driver Gillespie became the first amputee to complete the Dakar but now suffers the misfortune of a non-finish. “I know just how tough this event is and lady luck was against us this time. Ben and I were really only just getting started so it was gutting to succumb to a mechanical gremlin.”

As I write, the team’s race truck, piloted by Mark Cullum, Chris Ratter and amputee Daniel “Baz” Whittingham, is still battling through the dunes on stage two after assisting both Gott and other competitors.

For Team Director Ben Gott and Team Manager Andrew “Pav” Taylor, it’s been a tough day. “Of course we’re disappointed to lose both cars at this stage but if you’re going to take on something as tough as the Dakar you’re going to have setbacks and bad days - it’s about how you come through them that counts.

“Race2Recovery has always been about inspiring others and proving that serious injury is no bar to achieving the extraordinary,” says Taylor, who was seriously injured by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. “We’re a really close team and we’re all supporting each other. Our racing truck has compromised its own rally to help others which is in the true spirit of the Dakar.”

“If we succeeded every time, it wouldn’t be enough of a challenge,” says Gott. “We have a great team of dedicated people and we’re building for the future. This year, with sponsors Land Rover, we’re entering a team in the Defender Challenge as we look to find and inspire the next generation of Dakar competitors. Everyone in this team has been through so much that we refuse to be downbeat. The whole team would also like to thank everyone for the amazing support we’ve received since the team was founded ”

As I write it’s mid-morning Argentinean time, and more broken cars are still hobbling back to the bivouac while others are still struggling through yesterday’s stage. As always, the Dakar is living up to its awesome reputation.

January 5 2014

Not for nothing is the Dakar Rally hailed as the world’s toughest motorsport event. Last year Race2Recovery became the first amputee team ever to complete this gruelling race. This year, they’re back for another crack. Yesterday morning, two rally cars and a racing support truck left Rosario, Argentina to begin an event that won’t finish until the teams reach Valparaiso, Chile on January 18. By then, they’ll have driven more than 6,500 miles, 3,400 of which will have been on a special stage.

The team have returned with two Wildcat rally cars, based on the Land Rover Defender. Car number 395 is being driven by Tony Harris, who lost his left leg serving in Afghanistan. Last year Harris was excluded from the rally in the first week, but is back with strength renewed. “I’m ready for this,” he says. “It’s a different mindset to last year. None of us are rookies now. We’re ready.”

Race2Recovery's support truck is following the team's two Wildcats on this year's Dakar Rally PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

He’ll be co-driven by Quinn Evans, a Dakar veteran who finished fourth overall in 2008. Evans was Race2Recovery’s Team Principal last year, but is now back in his racesuit. “Experience makes a huge difference to success on the Dakar and this is only Tony’s second event, but he’s confident, capable and hugely committed. I’ll do all I can to help him.”

In Wildcat number 424 are Philip “Barney” Gillespie and Ben Gott. Gillespie made history last year by becoming the first amputee to finish the Dakar when he co-drove for Major Matt O’Hare. This year he’s teaming up with Ben Gott, who crashed out of the Dakar in spectacular style last year when he rolled his Wildcat.

“It was a big lesson about how the Dakar can bite at any time,” says Gott, who is now the Team Director. “Back we’re back and determined to build a long-term legacy for Race2Recovery.”

For Gillespie, it’s a chance to build on his success. “Last year was all about getting to the finish and we had so many problems we were often left tackling the stages alone. This time we really want to compete.”

Ben Gott and Barney Gillespie prepare to set off PHOTO GAUCHO PRODUCTIONS

The cars will be supported by the team’s race truck piloted by Mark Cullum, Chris Ratter and Daniel Whittingham. Known affectionately as “Baz”, Whittingham lost his left leg in Afghanistan and after working as a mechanic for the team last year is taking to the special stage for the first time.

For the next fortnight I’ll be embedded with the team, bringing you daily updates on the exploits of this extraordinary band of brothers. As I write, I’m en route to the first bivouac in San Luis at the end of an 500-mile day. Harris and Evans are already back after successfully completing the first stage. Gott and Gilllespie and the truck are somewhere behind.

Quinn Evans and Tony Harris at the start of the 2014 Dakar Rally

None of us will see our tents until the early hours then we’ll be up at 6am to do it all again. Who knows what will happen in the coming days, but it’ll no doubt be another extreme adventure.

Alistair Weaver will be posting regular updates from the Dakar Rally on Twitter. Follow him at @alistairweaver